Photo: Portliner

Kobe, Japan. 神戸、日本.

Our hotel in Kobe was so close to Sannomiya Station that we could see the trains on the train tracks! This is the view from our hotel window, where we could watch Port-Island Line (Portliner) flit by. This boxy, almost retro-looking train, which connects Port-Island and downtown Kobe, was the first driverless APM system in the world.

Compared to most trains in Japan which are modern and sleek, the Portliner is definately old school! I rode the Portliner to get to Kobe Airport, located on an small artificial island, at the end of the line.